Not long ago, Nick Lowe was approached by his American record label about releasing a Christmas album. The esteemed UK songwriter, who gave the world "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" and "Cruel to Be Kind," says the idea seemed laughable.
"But I was confused by how snooty I felt when they asked me about doing it," Lowe says. "I think it's a Brit thing, really: Making Christmas records is seen as a not very cool thing to do. And I thinkg it's all bound up with strange ideas from the 1960s, about selling out and things like that."
Lowe says his management was skeptical, too. Then, an idea struck him.
"Instead of just knocking out the same 12 songs that everyone always seems to do," Lowe says. "I thought, 'Well, with a little bit of work, I could make it a little bit different.'"
That meant writing new songs, ones sardonic and original enough to sit alongside any in his catalog, and giving what Lowe calls "a brand new suit of clothes" to the more well-worn classics. He NPR's Arun Rath in the studio to chat about the process and perform a few songs from the new Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family. Hear their conversation at the audio link.
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